How to estimate size of cargo hold?

[Snips]

First off, math isnt my forte to say the least, so bear with me...

Im trying to figure out the layout of a ship, and since I know the area of the cargo hold I figured I could somehow calculate the size of it, in metric ton. But after some googling I realized I needed help.

Say that the cargo hold is roughly 90 m2. How many tons of cargo* would that be?

*As in ship stat cargo hold.

[garhkal]

Depends. Which ship is it? Many of the freighters from the various source books have layouts, showing their cargo holds..
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[Zarn]

Getting an estimate on the volume is easy. Converting that into a ship stat cargo number is more difficult.

Most ships seem to have pretty low headspace. For instance, Chewie tends to slightly duck when he walks around the Falcon, and the Falcon seems to be pretty thin if you consider the general shape of it.

So. The general rule would be area * average height. Figure slightly less than 2m as standard, perhaps, with individual variation.

In your case, that would mean that 90 square meters times 2m height equals 180 cubic meters in volume. Divide by two again (if I remember the fudge factors suggested correctly), and you end up with 90 tons cargo capacity.

This is in line with what a typical stock light freighter would have - somewhere between 75 - 200 tons cargo capacity.

So, all other things being equal, about one ton per square meter should give you somewhere to start your estimation, and then you'll need to fudge if it doesn't bring you where you want to be.

[CRMcNeill]

The WEG rule of thumb is 2 cubic meters per metric ton, so 90 metric tons converts to 180 cubic meters, as Zarn indicated. How this converts to square meters depends on the vehicle. The average semi box trailer is around 3 meters interior height, but it is almost unheard of to completely fill that volume with cargo.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Snips]

Great! Im making some deck plans of the partys ship (a D5 Mantis converted to a freighter).

Ill post them on the forum when were done.

[garhkal]

What book is that mantis from? Looking through Gry's ships book, the only one with "Mantis" in the name is a custom designed fighter..
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[CRMcNeill]

It's one of the ship's from The Old Republic video game.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[JironGhrad]

[garhkal]

So where did the stats come from?
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Snips]

[Snips]

[garhkal]

[JironGhrad]

[CRMcNeill]

I said almost unheard of. The instances where it does happen are for cargo that is high volume and light weight, such as UPS envelopes. I've also done loads of empty plastic containers that filled the entire volume of the trailer, yet only weighed a few thousand pounds. Of course, semi trucks can actually pull a lot more than they normally carry, but this is due to maximum legal weight restrictions, not actual carrying capacity. However, you will, on occasion, see flat bed trailers loaded with steel plate or rolled steel that look deceptively tiny, yet weigh in at 44-45,000 pounds.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[JironGhrad]